LOS ANGELES >> As more of his young roster has spent more time recently in the trainer’s room than on the court, Lakers coach Luke Walton has exhausted nearly every combination imaginable to fill his starting lineup.

Walton has given rookie forward Brandon Ingram the responsibility to run the offense. Walton has started Metta World Peace at shooting guard after spending most of his 17-year NBA career as a forward and most of this season as a mentor. Walton has grudgingly broken up his reserve unit that leads the league in points.

There remains one option Walton has not explored, though. Lakers forward Luol Deng has started every game, despite entering Friday’s contest against Phoenix at Staples Center averaging 6.6 points on 33.7 percent shooting. That marks a far cry from both Deng’s career average (15.4 points on 45.7 percent shooting) and last season’s output in Miami (12.3 points on a 45.5 percent clip).

Walton has refused to make that move thus far even if the early returns on Deng’s four-year, $72 million have not yielded much from a production standpoint. The reasons went beyond Deng’s leadership qualities and work ethic.

“A lot of it is on us too as coaches to get him more positions and set plays where he knows he’ll get shots,” Walton said. “A lot of what we do is random. We like that style of play. Whoever is open, gets the shot.”

Deng downplayed Walton’s willingness thus far for him to keep his starting spot.

“That’s not how I look at it. Whatever he decides to do, that’s what he’s got to do,” Deng said. “Maybe I play different minutes. Maybe I play more minutes. Maybe I play more plays. Maybe I get less plays. Whatever it is, I’ve always said the head coach and the coaching staff makes the decisions. It’s my job to go out there and execute to the best of my abilities.”

Walton believes Deng has felt a “little frustrated” he has not done that yet. But Deng maintained he has kept a positive mindset and has refused to try to shoot his way out of his slump.

“I can go out right there and tell myself to get 20 shots to get numbers. But I’ve never done that. I’ve always let the game come to me,” said Deng, who has averaged 7.4 attempts per game. “I know people may have opinions and be frustrated. But with me I’ve always been honest with the game. I would never shortcut anything. I’m working harder than I have before and am trying to figure it out. Every day I’m in the gym trying to work it out. The main thing is staying positive. I know it’s going to start. I’m just being patient with the young guys and the team.”

Mark Medina has been the Lakers beat writer for the Los Angeles Daily News since 2012. He also works as a Lakers insider for AM570 and is heard on national radio outlets, including The Dan Patrick Show, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, The Chris Mannix Show, Fox Sports Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Yahoo! Sports Radio and SB Nation Radio. Medina also appears frequently on Spectrum SportsNet and NBC4's "Going Roggin."

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